Need some mask advice, VERY BADLY

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:43 am

i have both a Swift II and a Bravo and each i love, more the bravo becasue to me it is more quiet. I have developed a problem with nasal pillows. For some reason, i have SEVERE nose sores that scab up and bleed and hurt like nobody's business. I am to the point that i am going to have to take a couple of days off from the treatment in hopes that they will get better, but i am worried that it will come right back. i have a huge bloody sore (sorry for description) in both nostrils and the piece between the nasal pillows has left a sore on the underside of my nose between my nostrils. I AM HURTING. I have tried to apply stuff on my nose and it doesn't help. I have the mask as loose as possible to avoid these sores, but any looser and i get bad leaks. I am out of ideas. My insurance will not pay for another mask for another two months and i am scared the only way to fix this is to go FF. even though, i don't like the idea of it, i am at an inpass here. Since my insurance will not fund the next mask for a couple of months i think i need to find a FF on the cheap to hold me over. I need suggestions for a cheap/good (if possible) FF mask to hold me over. Any ideas on the FF or nasal pain would be great.........

thanks,

Jeff

jhollon · Post by **jhollon** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:44 am

this is me, forgot to login

Joffive · Post by **Joffive** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:54 am

I'm pretty new at this, but I have the swift 2. I do find that if I have the humidity a little on the higher side, my nose stays a little moister and feels yucky in the morning, like on the verge of getting what you describe. I try to keep it as dry as possible and still humid enough to keep my airways comfortable. In fact I was thinking of seeing if I could put a piece of thin cloth on the area around the pillows (not the pillows themselves) and see if I could at least give outer areas a rest from that slightly moist feeling. Don't know if it would work. I am sure folks who are more knowledgeable will jump in here, though.

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mindy · Post by **mindy** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:08 am

Jeff,

Masks are so individual that I don't think it's really practical to give someone advice on what to get.

You might want to look at the masks on cpap.com to get an idea of what's available for FFMs. The size guide is, IMHO, fairly reasonable ... after you enter in your measurements, it will give you a list of masks that it thinks are appropriate for you. It is certainly no guarantee (measuring is certainly prone to error!), but it may help to eliminate some.

Then there is cpapauction.com where masks can be obtained at less cost but like e-bay, it's "buyer beware". Some have gotten good masks that way but it's not risk free.

My sleep lab has let me borrow masks for up to a week and that has helped.

Mindy

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:10 am

Jeff,

Another thought ... is it possible you might be allergic (or sensitive) to the silicone? In that event, the FFMs might be a problem, too.

Mindy

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:11 am

i thought about that, but it has only started in the past few weeks after being on them for nearly 8 months, unless my body is suddenly deciding to do this i have to wonder

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:20 am

Allergies can often occur after repeated exposure --- happened to me.

m

Moby · Post by **Moby** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:47 am

might be worth going to the doc - maybe need an antibiotic cream - or they could be cold sores.

Di

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:32 am

Jeff,

What have you been using to clean your mask????

Mindy

packer · Post by **packer** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:25 am

sorry you are hurting- have been there

I use a lot of the AYR gel- that is the key for me-

also- if swift begins to hurt at all- I switch to the twilight NP-
use it for weeks or whatever- if I get any kind of discomfort
I switch to the other mask
I suppose they hit different spots?

they key for me is the AYR- I was going to quit before that

packer

lvehko · Post by **lvehko** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 12:28 pm

I feel your pain! I tired three or four nasal pillow masks before I realized that I have slotted nostrils, as opposed to round nostrils (go to https://www.cpap.com/cpap-mask-sizing.php and scroll down to #7, 'nares shape' to see what I mean). Nasal pillows are almost always shaped to fit into round nostrils, so when they go up into slotted nostrils, they push against the exterior edge, and over time that leads to irritation and sores like what you describe. So I switched over to a regular nasal mask.

Why are you looking for a full-face mask? If you're using the Swift & Bravo now, seems like a nasal mask would be the next choice. There are a couple of nasal masks that are not too expensive thru cpap.com, also I second the recommendation to try cpapauction.com -- you can get some good deals there.

The nasal mask I currently use is a lab-ratted version of the F&P HC 407. I like the F&P nasal masks for a couple of reasons -- they have a foam cushion under the silicone seal that makes them more comfortable on my face, and their 'flexifit' feature really does keep them from getting dislodged when I move around in my sleep. They're also reasonably priced, compared to a lot of other masks.

Best of luck in your search!

M

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:05 pm

I had similar problems with scabs on my nose with all the nasal pillows masks I tried. I've not had the problems since switching to a "prongs" style mask that fits inside my nares.

You might look at the Nasal Aire II. Very little skin contact, and most users report little to no irritation.

Cheers,
Barbara

jhollon · Post by **jhollon** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:50 pm

alright, sorry for the delay and thanks for all the posts for me. alright, time to answer some questions brought up and in no particular order.

1. they aren't cold sores, they are worn out skin
2. i clean the mask (which ever one) with baby shampoo in warm water and then wipe it down with sterile alcohol swabs after they are dry.
3. nose is round on the nostrils, had measurements just to make sure, but could still be wrong.

alright, i had to make an EMERGENCY run to my DME. A close family friend is a higher up there so they do take care of me to get a nose mask because i couldn't take the pain any longer. They gave me a comfort gel 2 or something and i slept with it last night and my nose already feels better. I think i will have to stick with it until the nose clears up and try my nasal pillows again. the only thing with the mask is it is loud and i am not sure it isn't my fault becasue of how i am putting it on, it just doesn't feel tight enough and it leaves pressure marks when i tightened it up till like 2PM today. I can live with this, but does anyone else think it is loud or am i crazy.

on a side note, i have seen on here several posts that say DMEs aren't overpriced and are mostly inline with pricing. To all those, i say WRONG, they either are DR.s, Nurses, DMEs or work for DMEs. The mask they gave me (becuase my 10 omnths isnt up yet for insurance to cover) was a comfort gel 2 respironics and their price was $187 and i found this mask all over the internet for around $50. the only salvage is that if i don't like it after a week, they will change it out for me, but that is a differnce of $137. sounds a bit odd to me.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): respironics, DME, Nasal Pillows, clean

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:27 pm

Hi Jeff,

Yes, you're right ... mask prices at brick-and-mortar DME's are high ... although the ability to swap out can be helpful. I get an invoice showing their price and then what my insurance paid and what my insurance paid is about 2/3 of what the DME charges. The amount insurance pays is still higher than cpap.com.

Although I strongly doubt that there is a connection .... I'm not sure about using alcohol on the mask ... you might want to ask your DME about that. If they are any good, they would certainly know more than I do on that subject. I was specifically told to *only* clean my mask with a *few* drops of a gentle dishwashing detergent in warm water.

I'm happy to hear that you are getting some relief with the nasal mask!

Best of luck in getting this worked out - it sounds like you were in a world of hurt!

Mindy

Treesap · Post by **Treesap** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:50 pm

I use nasal pillows. I use LOTS of AYR gel IN my nose and OUTSIDE my nostrils. It helps a lot. I have psoriasis, and the nasal pillow seemed to irritate my nostril and cause psoriasis in that spot. Since using the AYR gel, this problem has gone away.

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